


Stuck With Me

by fangs_for_the_memories



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Biting, Camping, F/F, Hiking, Minor Violence, Some Fluff, carmilla biting laura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-07 13:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3174704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangs_for_the_memories/pseuds/fangs_for_the_memories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura asks Carmilla to go on a hiking/camping trip during spring break, which Carmilla reluctantly agrees to.  During the trip, they bump into a vampire from Carmilla's past, leading to them being stranded in a cave with only one way out.  Deals with a semi-angsty Carmilla and includes Danny being her usual awesome self.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We Can Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura uses the power of her pout on Carmilla to convince her to go on a hiking/camping trip during spring break.

Carmilla rolled over, her arm reaching out for Laura. _Dammit_ , she thought, touching nothing but air.  She peeked out of one eye to see her girlfriend sitting in front of her computer.

“Cupcake, get back in bed, it’s too early,” she grumbled.

Laura threw her head back in a laugh, but didn’t turn around. Carmilla melted into the bed a bit at the sound.  “It’s four in the afternoon, you silly vampire.”

Carmilla huffed and slowly sat up. “How long have you been awake, cupcake?”

She watched as Laura stood from her chair and walked over to her, planting a light kiss on her lips.  “About nine hours?”  Laura kept walking, getting the “soy milk” out of the fridge and pouring a glass of blood before handing it to Carmilla.

Carmilla took the glass and drank a little. “I get it, I get it,” she said, flashing a rare warm smile, “you’re perfect.”  She reached out and pulled Laura over by her waist.

Laura gave another laugh and ran her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair.  “Perfect? More like, I’ve been sitting in the same spot for four hours and needed an excuse to get up.”

 

Carmilla drank from her glass.

“Carm?” Laura asked.  Carmilla could already tell from her tone that she was about to ask for something.

“Mmhmm?”

Laura took a deep breath before asking. “Would you like to go hiking and camping with me?”  Carmilla raised an eyebrow. “I was thinking we could go during our spring break, just the two of us.”

Carmilla took another sip.  “You want to be stuck alone with me in the middle of nowhere for a week?”

Laura rolled her eyes.  “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds _so_ romantic!” she teased.  “Besides, I’m stuck alone with you in this room _all_ the time.”

“Wow, buttercup, if you’re trying to win me over on this idea with flattery, it’s totally working.”

Laura pouted.  “Why don’t you want to go?”  Her eyes widened.  “Unless…” She frowned and stepped away. “Unless, _you_ don’t want to be stuck alone with me in the middle of nowhere for a week…?”

Carmilla was still debating how to explain why she didn’t want to go, when Laura apparently decided to let her own mind fill in the blanks.

She slapped her palm onto her forehead. “Stupid…”  She took another step back.  “Man, I am so stupid!  Why didn’t I think about the fact that you’re already always stuck alone with me in this room? Of course you wouldn’t want to waste our spring break doing that.  I-I’m sorry, forget I asked.”

 

Carmilla stood from her bed and placed a hand on Laura’s shoulder.  “Okay, calm down, Laura,” she said gently.  Laura didn’t realize she had started hyperventilating and her eyes were welling up. “Why is this so important to you, babe?”

Laura plopped down on Carmilla’s bed. “Well, I figured neither of us had plans for spring break.  And then I figured, my dad’s gonna be away on assignment.  And then I was like, ‘hey, my dad and I used to hike and stuff all the time, and I loved it.’  So then I thought, ‘Maybe Carmilla would want to go hiking and camping,’ especially because you don’t like being cooped up. And I figured we could just be our usual stupid selves, only an outdoors version of it, but if––” she sniffled, “––if you don’t want to, it’s fine, I think I just got too excited.”

“You think?” Carmilla asked, vaguely amused. Laura continued to sniffle.

Carmilla could feel her heart warming at the sight of her tiny human getting this worked up over wanting to spend a week with her. A week seemed so trivial, but leave it to Laura to make it seem like a huge deal.  It was so endearingly _human_ and touching that Carmilla couldn’t bring herself to explain to her why she didn’t jump at the idea of hiking.  She put her hand on Laura’s back and stroked it softly.

  
“Fine, sweetheart,” Carmilla finally relented.  “We can go.”

 

 

 

“ _Carm_!” Laura yelled.  They had been at it for almost ten minutes now, starting with Carmilla holding the large bag in one hand triumphantly, out of Laura’s reach.  It then turned into Carmilla throwing Laura’s bag into the air at an angle, and using her vampire speed to run around Laura to catch it on the other side.

Carmilla was laughing more than Laura had ever heard her.  As much as she loved the sound, her annoyance was greater.  She knew her face was scrunched up and that was half the reason Carmilla was doing this, but she couldn’t help it.

“Carm, come on!  This isn’t funny!”  She made another valiant attempt at leaping for her bag.  “At this point, I’m gonna be too tired to hike––” she let out a gasp and shot her vampire an accusatory glare.  “ _Wait a minute_! Is that why you’re doing this?”

Carmilla finally lowered the bag into Laura’s reach, and she grabbed it and hugged it as if her life depended on it. “No, shortcake, I was just having fun.” She gave Laura a wink. “It’s nice to see you have so much stamina, though.”

Laura blushed and grumbled, heading out the door. “I hope a bear eats you,” she yelled from the hallway.

Carmilla gave a chuckle as she slowly, grudgingly left the room after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New fic, less angst (in comparison), but hopefully the same level of enjoyment for you guys!


	2. What If We DON'T Get Into Trouble?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Carmilla and Laura's plans to go hiking don't go completely go according to plan from the beginning, they soon find out that cell phone signals and food is the least of their problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write more about them hiking and camping, but since I have zero experience with both, I just went straight for the action, haha. Enjoy!!

Carmilla admired the scenery around them. The trees, the sunlight, and the wildlife were a welcome contrast to the spring break she had planned for herself. Best of all, Laura looked breathtakingly beautiful as she looked around her as well, in a childlike wonder. Carmilla smiled despite herself and how her tiny human still managed to bounce up and down, even with a large bag on her back.  Her own bag was much larger, and she had two other bags in her hand, which she had grumbled about, but only on principle.

Laura squealing and smiling at Carmilla was all the thanks she needed.  She was still pleasantly surprised that the small, happy clump of sugar that was her girlfriend genuinely wanted and enjoyed spending time with her.

And although she also wouldn’t have minded curling up with her books for a quiet week, it was nice to be in a different environment with Laura and find that they still enjoyed each other’s company.

_Except I still may have overestimated how much I’d be able to tolerate while hiking with Laura for a week_ , mused Carmilla – not that she had any serious issues, but it was just that Laura was so damn _positive_.

 

“Oh, hon, I may have forgotten to the lock the door when we left.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like there’s much to steal in the room anyway.”

 

“Cupcake, we don’t have any cell phone service.”

“It’s fine!”

“What if we run into trouble?”  
“What if we don’t?”

 

“I left my blood back in the room, buttercup.”

“Maybe if someone wasn’t playing monkey in the middle with me and _herself_ … Do you want to go back and get it?”  
“I guess I can just feed off the animals around.”

“Yay! Okay!”

 

Carmilla rolled her eyes, scowling at her girlfriend’s back.  The trip has basically been like hiking next to a walking ball of sunlight, and it was only the first day. It also probably didn’t help that they had woken up at the butt crack of dawn.  Although, if Carmilla was being honest, she was more annoyed with herself for actually finding Laura’s eternal optimism entertaining and mildly charming.

“Carm!”  Carmilla snapped out of her grumpiness to see that her small human had yammering at her about something.

“What?”

Laura let out an exasperated sigh. “I was saying that it’s getting dark, and we should probably set up camp.”

Carmilla looked out of the clearing around them, not having realized that the sun was setting.

“Hello?  Carm? Did you zone out on me again?” Laura waved her hand in front of Carmilla’s face and the vampire grabbed the girl’s wrist lightly.

“I will rip your hand off if you keep waving it in front of my face,” she sneered, letting it go.

“Ooh, testy,” Laura said, grinning. “How about I start setting up camp, while you go find yourself something to eat?”

Carmilla smiled back and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Try not to hurt yourself with the tent,” she smirked.

Laura rolled her eyes as the vampire dropped off her bags, and stalked off into the woods.

 

She knew she was being overly optimistic in thinking that this hiking/camping trip was going well, especially on the first day, but she had caught Carmilla smiling numerous times throughout the day, and it felt amazing to be trekking alongside her gorgeous vampire girlfriend.

It _was_ unfortunate that Carmilla hadn’t brought her blood with her, but she seemed okay with hunting down food instead of poofing back to their room. It was also unfortunate that they didn’t have any signal on their cell phones, but didn’t that make it more romantic?

Before she knew it, Laura had already set up a tent and decided to reward herself with starting on one of the many pack of cookies she had brought with her.  She was munching on some chewy chocolate chip ones when she heard some footsteps not too far away.

“Carm?” she asked, her mouth still full. When there was no reply, she finished swallowing it, wiped some crumbs off herself, and stood. “Carm?  This isn’t funny.”

 

She walked toward the sound, only to be startled by a man suddenly walking out from behind a tree and bumping right into her. She tried, and partially failed, to muffle a scream.

“Oh!  Oh, h-hi,” she stammered.  “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was around, and I was looking for––”

“––Carmilla,” the man finished, flashing a good-natured grin.  He looked to be around her age, with a muddled Eastern European accent, and his eyes smiled when he smiled. “I heard.”

Laura found herself smiling back. “Yeah, we’re hiking,” she elaborated. She felt her smile falter as something felt off, something she couldn’t quite place.

“And she just left you alone?” The friendly smile was replaced with something slightly more sinister.

“Mmhmm,” Laura replied, taking an involuntary step back.  _Think, Hollis,_ she fretted, _what set off your spidey senses?_

And then it hit her.

“How’d you know her name was Carmilla?” she asked, taking another, wider step back.

He sneered at her.  “You were calling her name.”

“No,” she said slowly.  “I called ‘Carm.’”

The man stepped towards Laura. “Hmm,” he said, the smile completely disappearing from his face.  “You’re a sharp one.”

 

Laura decided to waste no time in panicking. “ _Carmil––_ ”

The man moved behind Laura with supernatural speed and clamped his hand over her mouth, using his other arm to hold her in place while she squirmed.  “Be quiet, now,” he hissed in her ear.  The damage had been done, though.

Carmilla appeared seconds later, a few feet from them. She snarled at the other vampire. “Get away from her!”

“Mircalla, how nice of you to join us,” he said, tightening his hold on Laura, grinning when the tiny girl gasped. “You’ve roped yourself some nice cattle, here.”

Carmilla’s eyes traveled from his face to Laura’s and there was a flash of worry and concern before she went back to addressing their adversary.  “What do you want?” she growled.

 

“Word got out that Mother is dead,” he said, leaning into the crook of Laura’s neck and inhaling deeply.  “Which means she can’t protect you from me, anymore.”

Laura’s eyes widened.  “Carm, get out of here,” she said, earning another squeeze from her assailant as he shushed her.

“The adults are talking, child.”

“If you want to kill me,” Carmilla spoke through gritted teeth, “why are you standing there holding my girlfriend?”

“You’re a coward,” he spat.  “Or, at least, you used to be.  Time was, you would’ve run and avoided this confrontation altogether.” He brought his lips right against Laura’s ear and whispered, “You must be very important to her.” Laura closed her eyes and clenched her jaw while the vampire returned his attention back to Carmilla. “I’m holding onto her so I know you won’t run from me, and I can finish what I started all those years ago.”

 

He slowly released Laura, holding onto her hand and making a grand gesture of twirling her away from him and then back into him. He kept his eyes locked with Carmilla. “Let’s dance, Mircalla,” he said, giving a wink.

Laura took advantage of her new liberated position and delivered a palm strike to his nose, then a blow to his throat, and when he doubled over, she drove her elbow into his back. In a flash, Carmilla lunged forward, grabbing Laura and lifting her into her arms.  Laura didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around Carmilla’s neck, and Carmilla fled with a vampiric velocity as far from the other vampire as possible.

Laura chanced a peek over Carmilla’s shoulder to see trees blurring past, as well as –– _oh no_. “Carm, he’s gaining on us!” she warned, just as the other vampire caught up and tackled them, sending them all hurtling into a nearby cavern.

Carmilla didn’t land too far from their adversary, but Laura flew straight into the far cavern wall.  The other vampire wasted no time in leaping to his feet and grabbing Carmilla by a leg and arm and throwing her into a wall with a force strong enough to take chunks out as she fell.  Carmilla sprang to her feet and pushed him into the opposite wall, holding him in place with her forearm across his throat and another across his waist.  “Run, Laura!” she called.

 

Laura sprinted as fast as she could past them out of the space, turning around in time to see the vampire break free from her girlfriend’s hold and deliver an uppercut to knock her backwards. The fight continued at an increasing speed, with Laura’s human eyes only catching flashes and grunts, with the occasional pause where one of the sparring enemies were pressed up against a wall. The cavern shook as they repeatedly bounced against its sides.

Laura’s eyes darted around, trying to come up with some kind of plan to help Carmilla.  Although her vampire was holding her own, Laura wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if something happened to her when Carmilla had stayed just because Laura had been in danger.

Her eyes landed on a fallen tree branch. She had watched enough **_Buffy_** to automatically think of it as a stake, and even if it wasn’t actually a thing for vampires, impaling him had to do _something_ , right? 

 

Carmilla was currently pinned to the ground by her shoulders, with the vampire holding her down with one arm across her chest, his legs pushing down on hers, and one hand wrapped around her head, as if trying to pry it off.

Laura took a deep breath, and grabbed the branch from the ground.  She charged into the middle of the cavern and shoved the sharper end of the branch into his chest as hard as she could and stepped back as he howled in pain. He clawed at his chest, as if to remove the branch, but immediately began to shake violently. There was a deep rumbling in the air, mixing with his screams, before he finally exploded, causing the whole cavern to quake.

 

Laura looked around in panic when the quaking did not stop.  Carmilla finally lifted her head off of the ground, her eyes widening as well.

The last thing Laura remembered as the cavern caved in and Carmilla throwing herself on top of her –– and then everything went black.


	3. Alexander and Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Laura tries to come up with a plan to deal with their current predicament, Carmilla explains the history between her and the vampire that just attacked them.

Laura opened her eyes, confused when she saw nothing but darkness. Her head was ringing, she felt a heavy weight on her chest, and her legs were throbbing.  She had trouble focusing on anything, and waited a few seconds before her brain registered that Carmilla was on top of her. To her dismay, it was not in a romantic fashion, and the other girl appeared to be unconscious and immobile.

Laura thought hard, trying to piece together what was happening.  Slowly, she recalled Carmilla fighting a vampire, and then staking him, and then…

 _A cave-in_ , she realized.

“Carm,” she rasped out, inhaling dirt and dust. She tried to move her arm but they were pinned under Carmilla.  Laura knew something was wrong because, while Carmilla was more solid than she looked, she wasn’t _this_ heavy.

Laura squinted, and as her vision adjusted to the darkness, she realized in horror that the whole thing had caved in _on top_ of them – or rather, on top of Carmilla, who was currently shielding Laura from it.  “Carm,” she tried again, a little more urgently.

Carmilla stirred a bit and mumbled something.

“What?”

Carmilla stirred a bit more before speaking again. “Oww.”

Laura wanted to laugh but couldn’t. “Carm,” she tried gently, “not to incite panic, but we’re stuck in a cave-in, with said cave-in on top of us. Or, rather, on top of _you_.”

“Oww,” the vampire repeated.

“Carm, please.”  She’d been trying to hold in a whimper but it escaped. “I don’t want to downplay whatever you must be feeling but I’m in a lot of pain.”

Laura felt Carmilla attempt a sigh. “I know.  Hold on, creampuff,” she said, grunting as she assumed a push-up position and lifted herself off Laura by a couple inches. Laura pulled herself to slide out from under Carmilla as well as she could manage, and Carmilla did a superman-esque dive, leaving a large pile of rocks to tumble down behind her.

 

The two girls lay on the ground groaning for a few moments.  Carmilla recovered first, sitting up and wincing.  “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I envisioned us in a small, intimate space together during this trip.”

Laura made no motion to move and just gave a dry laugh. Carmilla crawled over to her tiny human, her eyes quickly adapting to the darkness that engulfed them. She scanned over her girlfriend and her jaw dropped open.

“Laura,” she exhaled, unable to articulate anything else.

The look of sheer concern incited more panic in Laura. “What?  What is it?!” she demanded.

“Y-Your legs,” Carmilla stammered out, worry evident in her voice.  “They’re broken.”

Laura’s eyebrows furrowed together. “I kinda figured,” she admitted, “especially when I was wiggling out from under you.”

Carmilla took a deep breath, racking her brain to figure out their next possible course of action.  Laura lifted her head, shimmied over towards Carmilla, and placed her head on the other girl’s lap.  “Can’t you just, uhm, poof us out of here?” Laura asked, trying to keep her tone light.

“No,” Carmilla fretted, absentmindedly running her thumb on Laura’s cheek.  “I only fed on a small forest animal and even if I had fed on a human, I used up all of my strength keeping the cave-in from killing both of us.  And whatever was leftover, went to healing all my wounds.” Now that she pointed it out, Laura did notice that even though Carmilla was covered in dirt and her clothes were ripped, there were no actual cuts or bruises on her.  _Lucky you._

 

“We’ll think of something, Carm,” Laura replied, smiling up.

Carmilla laughed softly despite their current predicament.  “Yeah, you tiny ball of sunshine, I feel like we will.”

Laura nodded.  “Yup!  Just, uh, give me some time to think, coz I’m pretty sure I also have a concussion, or something.” Carmilla’s look of concern returned and Laura gave her a reassuring pat.  “Or not!” she rushed.  “I do have a really hard head, y’know?”

Carmilla gave a bigger laugh this time. “Yes, I am aware of that.”

 

The two stayed in silence for a bit before Laura spoke again.  Carmilla tried to ignore the smell of blood filling the small space.  “Carm?”  Carmilla had taken to running her fingers through Laura’s hair.

“Hmm?”

“Who was that vampire?”

Carmilla sighed.  “Just someone I pissed off a couple centuries ago.”

“But you’re usually so personable,” Laura teased.

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Carmilla laughed, mockingly. “And here I thought you were with me for my charming personality.”  Laura chuckled.

 

“His name was Alexander,” Carmilla spoke. “From what I heard, back in the eighteenth century, he and his brother, Peter, were very close. They’d already been living out immortality together for a couple of centuries by then.  And then, along came a girl.”  Her voice sounded distant, her eyes not focusing on Laura in her lap, but rather seemingly looking _through_ her.

“A girl got between them?” Laura prompted when Carmilla didn’t immediately continue.

“Not in the traditional sense. Alexander fell in love with this human girl, and Peter was very supportive.  It was all very sweet.”  She sighed deeply. “Which is why Mother felt the need to steal their happiness from them.  She had me take that girl as a sacrifice.”  Her voice dropped to a whisper and she looked away from Laura in shame. “After she was taken, they came after me for revenge, but Mother was so much stronger and protected me from them. Now that she’s gone, I guess Alexander figured there was nothing stopping him.”

“What happened to his brother?” Laura’s voice was slowly losing strength.

“I don’t know,” Carmilla said. “Alexander took the death hard, and I was told they were never the same since.  All thanks to me,” she spat ruefully.

“Carm, no,” Laura said soothingly. “Your mother made you. Don’t blame yourself.”

 

Carmilla scoffed.  “Cupcake, I appreciate the gesture, but the blame is on me.”

“Maybe some of it,” Laura acknowledged carefully. “But if you’re thinking there’s a direct correlation between you snatching up his girl and Alexander attacking us––”

“––Me,” Carmilla interrupted. “He was attacking _me_.  And you were in danger because you’re _with_ me.” Carmilla chanced a look down at Laura’s legs.  “This is why I didn’t want to go hiking,” she murmured.

Laura quirked an eyebrow.  “You didn’t want to go hiking because you knew we’d be hunted down by Alexander?”

“No.”

“Maybe it’s the blood loss, or the potential concussion, but I have no idea what you mean.”

Carmilla shook her head.

“Okay, fine,” Laura said, putting her hands up to indicate she was dropping the topic.  _For now_.

 

An awkward silence followed, so of course Laura felt a need to fill the void.

“You can’t poof us or even yourself out, right?”

“Right,” Carmilla replied softly.

“And you also don’t have enough strength to move the rocks out of the way?”

“Sorry, creampuff.” She scowled.  “All I had was some of a deer and it was all used in the battle or to keep us alive.  Right now I’ve basically just got the strength of a human.”

Laura’s eyes lit up. “But if you had something stronger in your system, you could get us out, right?”

Carmilla eyed her warily. “Yes, but we don’t have any blood in here,” she pointed out.

“Uh, yeah, we do,” Laura replied.  “Me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying the ride, guys!!


	4. The Most Precious Jewel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura makes a case for her idea. Carmilla makes a decision.

“What?”

“Feed from me, get your strength back, and get out of here.”

Carmilla scoffed at the human in her lap.  “No.”

Laura sighed. “Carm, we don’t have any food for either of us in here.  No one knows where we are.  Our phones don’t have reception.  My legs are broken, my head is throbbing, and I’m probably going to lose consciousness soon, anyway. _And_ , you don’t have another plan ready.”  She frowned.  “This is our only way out.”

“No,” Carmilla stated again, adamant.

Laura scrunched up her face. Normally, Carmilla would find it adorable.  Today? Not so much.

“Can you at least tell me why?”

Carmilla glared down at Laura.  “Do you hear what you’re saying?  You are asking me to _drink from you_. You’re asking me to bite my fangs down into you and drink your _blood_ , and you want me to know why I veto this imbecilic, idiot, suicidal idea of yours?”

“I trust you,” she replied simply.

“Trust me?  Trust me to kill you, you mean?  Because if I can’t control myself, if I don’t stop in time––”

“You will.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes.  “Your blind faith in me is endearing, cupcake,” she said dryly. “But it’s going to get you killed someday.  Maybe today.”

“Carm––”

“I didn’t want to come on this trip because I was afraid you’d find out you’re stuck somewhere with a monster,” Carmilla blurted out.

Laura blinked at her incredulously. “W-What?”

 

“I mean, come on and wake up already, Laura,” Carmilla snapped.  “I spent hundreds of years kidnapping young women and didn’t give a thought to what happened to them or the people they left behind.  I could’ve easily done the same to you.  I’ve killed people, I’ve ruined lives, and you’re just gung-ho to play house with me because you’re too oblivious to––”

“Oh, okay, ‘oblivious,’” Laura interrupted. “That’s what you really think of me, isn’t it?”  Laura put on her best Carmilla impression. “‘Oblivious Laura.’ ‘Oblivious Laura is only a child that understands nothing.’ ‘Oblivious Laura doesn’t realize Carmilla has feelings for her.’ ‘Oblivious Laura just thinks her girlfriend is a neutered vampire.’”  She had gotten herself worked up and shifted, unfavorably so for her legs, and winced.

“Okay, let’s just take it easy,” Carmilla said soothingly.

Laura took a deep breath.  “My point is, I know what I’m doing.  I’m aware you have a less-than-ideal track record with girls and being an upstanding member of society.  I’m aware that you feeding from me means you might take too much.” She touched Carmilla’s cheek, a touch almost too lovingly and sweet that made her melt and also flinch. “But I’m also aware that this situation we’re in doesn’t have any other solution, Carm, and so do you.”

Carmilla closed her eyes and turned her face, kissing the palm of Laura’s hand.

“When I say that I trust you, I mean I trust you to do whatever needs to be done.”

Carmilla bit her lip.  “What if I take too much?”

Laura removed her hand from her girlfriend’s face. “Then I still trust you to do whatever needs to be done.”

 

“If something happens to you,” Carmilla whispered, her eyes welling up, “I don’t know what I’d do.”

Laura gestured at her legs.  “Something’s already happened, silly.  And you’re doing what needs to be done.”  She slowly maneuvered herself off Carmilla’s lap and sat up.

Carmilla inched closer.  “Are you sure?”

Laura nodded.

“I’m so sorry, cutie,” Carmilla whispered against Laura’s skin.  Laura intertwined her hand in Carmilla’s.

 

Carmilla extended her fangs and bit down, ignoring the yelp that came from Laura’s mouth.  She felt the human’s grip on her hand tighten as Carmilla drew the blood out of her. _Please forgive me_.

This was the last thought before the sweet, tangy liquid flowed into her mouth, and she lost the capacity to form coherent thoughts. How could anything taste so good? It was like raw power was being pumped into her body, and love, and warmth.  She just wanted to take more, and more, take what should be rightfully _hers_ , and never let it go. This was the most _alive_ she had felt in over three centuries, and she did not want to give it up.

Or did she?

She was vaguely aware that the tiny girl beneath her had been willing, then less willing, then insistent than she _stop_ , then the _oh god Carm you’re taking too much stop stopstopstop_ , and then there was a blissful silence…

Carmilla’s eyes snapped open and she pulled away. “Cupcake?” her voice cracked. The tiny, fail human in her arms was unconscious, her face peaceful – almost _too_ peaceful.  Her voice came out small, smaller than she had ever heard it.  “Laura?”

She listened for a heartbeat, and while there was one, it was faint and rapidly fleeting.  She teleported them out of the godforsaken cavern, clutching her unconscious girlfriend as if she were the most precious jewel in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one was short, so the next chapter will be up shortly!


	5. Goodbye, Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura wakes up to Carmilla and her friends, but finds her girlfriend is acting strangely. Carmilla makes a decision.

Laura tried to open her eyes, but the bright hospital lights burned and she winced.

“Cupcake?”  a concerned Carmilla whispered next to her.

Laura managed to open her eyes fully and went to turn her head, but a pain shot out of the left side of her neck, as well as her head, and she gave a small yelp.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Carmilla said, placing a hand on Laura’s shoulder.  She quickly seemed to reconsider and removed her hand.

“Guess you managed to get me out in the _neck_ of time, ” she joked, her voice hoarse. “Get it?  ‘Nick of time,’ ‘neck of time?’”  She was suddenly aware that her head felt fuzzier than usual, and identified some pain medication being administered to her via IV.

Carmilla just stared down at her with sad eyes.

“Gee, tough crowd.”

There was rustling on the other side of her bed and she turned to see Danny, Lafontaine, Perry, and even Kirsch sitting in chairs. Danny was holding out a cup in front of her, but it took a few seconds for her to focus on the straw.

“Thanks, Danny,” Laura said after a few sips.

Danny smiled down at her.  “Good to see you awake, Hollis.”

 

“We were worried, little nerd-hottie,” Kirsch said, and then bit his lip when Danny fixed him with a glare.  “Glad you’re okay, Laura,” he amended.

“Carm called us after the docs took you from her,” Lafontaine explained.  They were wringing their hands and their eyebrows furrowed.  “You’ve been unconscious for a while.”

“I brought cupcakes and cookies!” Perry declared, pointing to a basket on a table across the room.

Laura’s eyes wandered over to Carmilla, who remained silent, and then looked back at her friends.  “Thanks you, guys.”  She beamed at them.  “You’re the best. It means a lot to me that you’re all here.”

“How are you feeling?”  Danny asked, sitting back down.

“Like I need a cookie,” Laura answered with a grin, causing everyone to laugh.  “My neck and legs are throbbing and my head hurts, but I’m _sure_ a cookie will fix whatever the pain meds aren’t covering.”

Perry obliged and grabbed a couple cookies from the basket for her, and gave everyone else one, except Carmilla, who passed on them.

Laura offered her one of her cookies but Carmilla shook her head adamantly.

“What’s the matter?  Grumpy Vampire doesn’t want a cookie?”  Laura pouted.

“I don’t want a goddamn cookie!” Carmilla yelled, causing Laura to flinch.

“Jeez, Carm, have an aneurism, why don’t you?” Laura scoffed. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What's wrong with me,” Carmilla growled, “is that I almost killed you and you’re sitting here offering me a cookie.”

 

Laura took a bite from her cookie, looking pensive. “Yeah, but you also brought me here so I wouldn’t die, which I think is pretty cookie-worthy.”

“I wouldn’t have had to bring you to the hospital if I hadn’t attacked you,” Carmilla snapped, gritting her teeth.

“You wouldn’t have had to feed from me if we weren’t trapped in a cavern.”

“We wouldn’t have been trapped in a cavern if Alexander hadn’t come looking for me!”  Carmilla was out of her chair, now shouting.

“Well, he _did_ come looking for you, so why are we sitting here splitting hairs?” Laura angrily took another bite from her cookie.

“Because you don’t seem to realize how bad I am for you!”  Carmilla screamed in Laura’s face.

Laura furrowed her brows.

Perry and Danny all but dragged Lafontaine and Kirsch from the room to give the couple their privacy –– or in self-preservation.

 

“You’re not bad for me,” Laura finally said, trying to calm down since getting worked up was agitating her neck and legs.

“Yes, I am,” Carmilla sighed, sitting back down in her chair. “This isn’t going to work.” Her voice cracked.

Laura’s eyes widened.  “What?  No! It’s gonna work out fine.” She choked back a sob. “You’re just gonna throw whatever we have away just because of a stupid hiking trip?”

Carmilla dropped her face into her hands. “I’m saying that we can’t _even_ have a stupid hiking trip without it becoming a life-or-death situation.”  She looked up, tears in her eyes.  “You almost _died_ , Laura. Your heart was barely beating because I took too much.”

“Okay, you’re making it sound like every time we go on a trip, some vampire from your past is gonna show up and attack us and you’re gonna have to feed from me.”  Laura shook her head.  “This was like, a worst-case scenario.”

“No, it isn’t!” Carmilla yelled. “It may not be this exact scenario every time but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a monster. You’re dating a monster. And I come with 334 years of being a monster, and I don’t want it to all come crashing down on you.” She bit her lip. “Do you know why I took too much? It’s because I _enjoyed_ feeding from you.  It was the most alive and powerful I have ever felt in my entire existence, and I didn’t care that it was killing you.”

“You obviously did, because you stopped and took me to the hospital, and you’re willing to leave me over it,” Laura sobbed. “This is just you running because you’re scared because this is the first time you don’t have your future mapped out for you, and that we don’t know what’s in our future, but that’s okay, because––” Laura inhaled deeply. “––because I love you!”

Carmilla shook her head and stood up, turning away from Laura.

“Carm, I love you.  I know we haven’t known each other long, but I swear I can’t imagine my life without you.”  Her voice came out small.  “Please, don’t go.”

 

Carmilla looked down at Laura, sniffling.

“Goodbye, creampuff.”

She walked out of the room, ignoring the pleas from her girlfriend and the devastated looks from their friends waiting outside as she strode past them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Please don't hate me  
> not until after the fic is over ;) ]


	6. Thank You, Xena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny is sent to Carmilla to convince her not to leave Laura, while a new threat arises.

A few days had passed before Carmilla received a text from Lafontaine saying that Laura had been released from the hospital not too long ago.  Carmilla sat on the rooftop of the library, staring up into the night sky, an almost empty bottle of whiskey in her hand.  She leaned back on her backpack.  She had been ready to leave ever since she left Laura, but she somehow found herself on this roof for the past couple days, unable to leave, drinking from the blood she had taken out of their fridge, staring at nothing.  She had perfectly valid reasons for leaving, and she had explained them to Laura, even if the human was too daft to understand that it was for her own good.

_So why can’t I leave?_

 

The roof door opened and Carmilla smiled at the presence.

“Did Laf text you?”  Danny asked, approaching the vampire.

“Mmhmm.”

“Are you going back to her?”

Carmilla turned to face the tall girl. “How did you know I was here?”

“Dude, you tweeted it out,” Danny scoffed. She pulled out her phone and swiped onto the screen she was looking for. “@HeyCarmilla, one day ago, ‘You can practically smell the nerdiness in the library from its roof.’” She sat down next to her. “Figured it was a safe bet to check here first to see if you’re still here.”

Carmilla frowned.  She didn’t remember tweeting that.  Then again, this was not her first bottle of whiskey. She was just lucky she didn’t drunkenly call Laura.  _Oh, wait…_   She looked at the girl next to her.  “I haven’t called Laura, have I?”

Danny shook her head.  She sighed and motioned to ask for some of the whiskey. Carmilla handed it over and Danny took a nice swig, staring out into the campus for a few moments in silence.

 

“Look, you overgrown mosquito,” she finally said, taking another swig, “it hurt when Laura picked you over me. Or, whatever she did, because she claims that wasn’t the case.  Regardless, she wants you and doesn’t want me.  And at first I didn’t get it, because we had so much chemistry, and you were this immoral creature of the night that drinks blood and is messy and sarcastic to a fault.”

Carmilla quirked an eyebrow at her. “I like you more inebriated, Jolly Green Giant,” she smirked.

“Shut up, it’s tough enough to be giving you a pep talk without you being _you_ ,” Danny snapped.

“Oh, is this a pep talk?”  Danny glared at her and Carmilla pretended to zip her lips closed.

“I’m not gonna say I’m totally okay with you two together, but…”  She took a deep breath and locked eyes with the vampire.  “You’re good for her.”  She maintained the eye contact, biting her lip.  “Laura Hollis is the most stubborn, obnoxious, strong-willed, hard-headed girl I’ve ever met. But she’s also the most good-intentioned, pure-hearted, driven, compassionate girl I’ve ever met, too. I fell for that latter part but didn’t know how to deal with the strong personality that came with it.” She took another swig. “But, Dead Girl, you deal with all of her in a way I never could because we just kept clashing. You complete her. And, as someone with a Laura-type personality, I hope I find someone like you.”

Carmilla smirked.

“Not _exactly_ like you, but yeah,” Danny corrected.

“You will,” Carmilla said, shocking Danny and even herself with the sincerity in her voice.

 

Carmilla regarded the girl in front of her carefully. “And you’re a pretty good wing-woman,” she replied.

Danny laughed.  “Oh, you have no idea.  Laura had half a mind to come to the roof herself!”  She rolled her eyes at the notion.  “Except the little idiot is still in a wheelchair and has casts on both her legs. Laf and Perry basically barricaded her in her room.”

Carmilla laughed, imagining Laura with her pout and scrunched up face and fire in her eyes and _dear God how was she about to leave this girl for all eternity_? Maybe what Laura had yelled at her in the hospital had been correct –– she was just running scared because she didn’t know what the future held for them.  Even as a human, her future had been set for her –– get married, have kids, be a lady, grow old, and die.  As a vampire, she had always been under the thumb of Mother.  She had never had so many options before, never mind someone to face them with.  The entirety of immortality lay in front of her, full of endless possibilities, and the concept of Laura being a part of that had been so daunting.  But Laura had been willing to face this all with her, and Carmilla had just pushed her away.

 

“You and Laura have such intense thinking faces,” Danny spoke across from her, handing her back the whiskey bottle.

Carmilla chuckled.

“Are you ready to go back to your girlfriend?”

Carmilla nodded slowly.  Danny extended a hand to pull her up, which Carmilla accepted.

Danny leaned in close to Carmilla. “And if you break her heart or bite her without her consent again, I’ll bring you back up to this roof to throw you off of it,” she said sternly.  Then she flashed a smile.  “Just keep that in mind, okay?”

Carmilla smirked.  “Thank you, Xena.”

 

The pair walked back quietly to the room, stopping by Lafontaine and Perry’s room quickly to update them on the impending reconciliation.

“She hasn’t left the room,” Perry informed them.

“Yeah, unless she got really desperate and crawled out the window with two casts,” Laf snickered.

The group made their way to the room, where Carmilla opened the door slowly, biting her lip.

“Laura?”

She opened the door all the way when she saw that the room was in complete disarray, with an abandoned wheelchair in the center of the room.  Bed sheets were tossed about and the wardrobe was shattered.

“What the…?”  Danny stepped in behind Carmilla.

Carmilla walked further into the room, looking around her, her mind going a mile a minute.

“Her computer camera light is on,” Lafontaine pointed out.  “Maybe it recorded what happened?”

Carmilla rushed over, stopped it from recording, found the file, and replayed it from the beginning of tonight’s footage.

 

_Laura, in a wheelchair, turns on the camera and is pulled back towards her bed by Lafontaine._

_“I trust Danny wholeheartedly to make my case to Carmilla,” Laura insists. “But I just think the case would be stronger if I were there.”_

_“Honey, no,” Perry says gently.  “Carmilla probably isn’t in the best state for you to pout at right now.”_

_The pair helps Laura onto her bed._

_“I won’t pout,” Laura presses, pouting while doing so._

_“It won’t work on us,” Lafontaine laughs._

_Laura crosses her arms and huffs.  “You’re standing in the way of_ true love _.”_

 _“And_ you _can’t stand,” Laf snaps. “Just let Danny handle it and Carmilla will be back in no time, okay?”_

_Laura groans and flops down on her bed, staring forlornly at the door as the two head out the door._

_“Just text us if you need anything, okay?  We’ll be in our room,” Perry offers, before the two leave and close the door._

_Laura lies on her bed for a few minutes, her head turned and staring at the phone on the bed next to her.  “Come on, you stupid vampire,” she mutters.  “You’d better be on the damn roof of the library…”_

_There is a sudden puff of smoke by the window.  Laura sits up.  A man, in his mid-twenties, is leaning against the wardrobe.  “Where is Carmilla?” he asks._

_“Who are you?” Laura demands._

_“My name is Peter, and last I heard, my brother went looking for your girlfriend. I found out she lives here. Where is she?”_

_Laura bites her lip.  “She broke up with me,” she says.  “I don’t know where she is.”_

_Peter steps forward, baring his fangs.  He looks much more manic than his brother.  “Liar!” he hisses, and lunges for Laura, tossing her from her bed across the room, onto Carmilla’s bed.  Laura lands with an “Oof!” and doesn’t have any time to recover before he flings her into the wardrobe, smashing it into pieces._

_Laura lies crumpled on the floor as Peter strides over to the computer and clicks some windows. “She has a Twitter, hmm?” He smirks.  “Guess we’re heading to the library roof, babe.” He snatches Laura off the ground and teleports out._

_The footage doesn’t show anything else until Carmilla walks into the room, followed by Danny, Lafontaine, and Perry_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was re-watching the series for the umpteenth time and could not shake the image of Danny and Carmilla bonding over Laura's stubbornness, haha.


	7. On The Off Chance...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and the others come up with a plan to rescue Laura, but Laura has her own ideas. Laura and Carmilla come to an agreement about their future.

“Is that Alexander’s brother?” Danny asked.

Carmilla nodded solemnly.

“What are you going to do?” Perry asked.

“I’m going to the roof of the library,” she stated plainly.

Lafontaine shook their head.  “Not by yourself,” they asserted.

Carmilla started to protest, but Danny interrupted. “Last time, you and Laura barely took down one vampire older than you.  This time, you think you can manage it without Laura _and_ us?”  She shook her head. “Sorry, Elvira, but we’re all tagging along.”

Perry nodded.  “Lafontaine and I can get Laura to safety, and Danny can help you go after Peter.”

“Are you sure?”  Carmilla looked around the room, scanning for any signs that any of them weren’t committed to helping, but they all seemed adamantly set to go.

 

One by one, Carmilla teleported them to the door leading to the roof of the library, each equipped with weapons from the Summer Society secret armory.

“Let’s do this!” Lafontaine said, pumping themselves up.

“Remember, stick to the plan, and no unnecessary heroics,” Carmilla whispered.

Danny rolled her eyes.  “You’re the only one here with that track record.”

Carmilla smirked and counted to three, throwing open the door.

Laura was propped up against the walled edge of the roof, while Peter stood in front of her.  He turned and faced Carmilla.  “There you are,” he growled.

Carmilla looked away from him and at Laura who seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.  Peter kicked one of Laura’s casts, leading her to jolt awake with a yelp of pain. “Wake up, you sniveling insect. Your girlfriend’s here and I don’t want you to miss me killing her.”

Carmilla hissed and Laura finally focused on her.

“Carm,” she mumbled, her eyes lighting up, with a grin not far behind.  “You came!”

“Aww,” Peter said mockingly.  “Yes, Carmilla is such a savior, let us all praise her for kidnapping innocent human girls for her mother to sacrifice, and then killing my brother who waited centuries for revenge.”

 

Danny whipped out a crossbow from behind her back and shot at Peter, who deftly spun to dodge the arrow.  He ran at Danny, swiping the crossbow from her hands and sending it clattering across the roof, but Carmilla was ready, grabbing him by his collar and throwing him away from everyone else.

Perry and Lafontaine rushed to Laura, each picking up one of her arms and carrying her together to the roof door, ignoring her protests.

Peter was on his feet, tackling Carmilla to the ground. Danny scrambled for the crossbow, but Peter had leapt off Carmilla and took Danny down by her legs.

Perry and Lafontaine closed the door.

 

“We have to go back out there!” Laura screamed.

Perry grabbed Laura by her shoulders. “This is the plan,” she explained.

Laura turned away.  “It’s a stupid plan!”

She threw the door back open and left the doorway, leaning against the outside frame, only to see that Peter was holding Danny off the ground by her throat, and Carmilla lying unconscious nearby.

“Hey!” Laura called.  She glanced down and saw that Lafontaine also had a crossbow. She grabbed it and shot an arrow, hitting Peter in the shoulder.  He dropped Danny, howling in pain, while Laura clumsily grabbed another arrow from Lafontaine to reload the crossbow.

Carmilla lifted her head and looked towards where the tortured sounds were coming from.  Her eyes widened to see that her girlfriend was still in play on the roof. “Laura!  Get out of here!”

 

Peter charged at Laura, but stopped short.

Everyone, including the vampire, looked to find out why, only to see that Laura had fired the second arrow directly into his chest. Peter gaped at his own wound, and then shook forcefully, screaming in agony before blowing up. The explosive wave sent Laura flying across the roof into the far wall, winding her.

Carmilla was at her side in an instant, gently holding the back of her head.

It took a few moments for the ringing in Laura’s ears to go away, but a harsh throbbing kept her from immediately focusing on the vampire holding her.  She eventually saw Carmilla’s lips moving, and sound slowly returned to Laura.

Carmilla looked like she was about to cry. “Laura?  Laura, can you hear me?”

Laura blinked slowly.  “Oww,” she groaned.  She was vaguely aware that her friends were also crowding around her.

“Wow, Hollis,” Lafontaine commented, “bad _ass_!  That’s like, the third vampire you’ve killed!” Perry glared at them and they shrugged. “What?  She’s like a tiny Van Helsing or Buffy or something.”

 

Laura’s hearing finally returned completely as she smiled up at the vampire cradling her.  “I hope I don’t have to go through something like this every time we fight,” she giggled.  “Or I’m gonna start wearing a helmet and shin guards.”

Carmilla’s lips twisted into a small smile. “Sounds like a very sexy look.”

Laura shrugged.  “It’s no corset and leather pants, but sometimes a girl’s gotta manufacture her own brand of sexiness, y’know?”  She wiggled her eyebrows, earning chuckles from everyone.  She looked at her friends.  “Thanks for helping Carm out, guys.”

“Our plans are being executed more and more effectively,” Perry declared.  “Next time, we might even be able to manage avoiding anyone getting injured at all!”

“I’d like to see that,” Danny mused. “I’m gonna go ice down my neck and… the rest of my body.  Carmilla, I think you should maybe take Laura back for another check-up at the hospital? She hit her head pretty hard and she already had a concussion, so…”  She turned to exit the roof, while Lafontaine and Perry trailed behind.

Carmilla nodded.  “Will do, Danny.  Feel better.”

 

When the others left, Laura smirked. “Wow, actual names and pleasantries! Guess that conversation on this roof earlier really helped.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes.  “Smugness is such an attractive quality on you, cupcake,” she drawled sarcastically.

“Are you forgetting I was arguing for _me_ to be the one to talk to you on the roof? Couldn’t you pick somewhere a little closer to the first floor and handicap accessible to have your ‘I’m such a broody Carmilla, let me mope about breaking up with Laura’ time?”

Carmilla looked away.  “I shouldn’t have done that,” she muttered.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Laura scolded.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking back down. “I shouldn’t have left you like that.” She bit her lip. “But I’m still not sure about staying if it does keep putting you in danger.”

“Oh my god, Carm,” Laura said, exasperated. “You aren’t putting me in danger. _I’m_ putting me in danger.  With Alexander, I totally could’ve left you in the cavern, but _I_ decided to stay.  _I_ am the one that suggested you feed from me.  _I_ decided to burst back onto the roof to help with Peter. Hell, _I_ decided to keep pursuing the missing girls even when it was clear how dangerous it would be.  Nothing that has happened to me is on you.”  She stroked Carmilla’s face.  “And _I_ am deciding to stay with you, regardless of whether you think you’re a monster or bad for me, and you’ll just have to trust that I know what I’m doing.

 

“I know it’s kind of a stretch for me to say I know what I’m doing, since I’m lying here with a concussion and two broken legs, and my neck is still burning from the bite,” she admitted.  “But are you really willing to throw whatever we have away on the off chance that I’m an idiot?”

Carmilla stared at Laura in her arms. _Laura Hollis.  Laura “Not Oblivious, I Know What I’m Doing” Hollis.  My Laura._

She pressed a kiss against her forehead. “It’s not an off chance that you’re an idiot,” Carmilla finally said.

“Gee, thanks.”

“But you’re my idiot, creampuff.”

Laura grinned.  “No more panicking and running away from our future?”

“I’m not promising anything about the panicking, buttercup,” she said slowly.  “It’s a part of the baggage I’ve carried for the past 334 years.  But I can promise that any fears I have, I will address with you before turning tail and running.”

“Because we’re in this together?”

Carmilla nodded.  “Yup, guess you’re stuck with me,” she said dryly. “You’re stuck with me in our room. You’re stuck with me in Mama Klaus diners.  You’re stuck with me during hiking and camping trips.  And, right now,” she lifted Laura in her arms, “you’re going to be stuck with me in a hospital.”

 

“Oh, wait!  Hold on,” Laura said, reaching into her pocket.

Carmilla looked down to see Laura pull out a pitiful-looking, crumbled cookie.

“I saved one for you!”

“You ate all those cookies from Perry already?!” Carmilla laughed.

Laura waved the cookie in Carmilla’s face. “Do you want the damn cookie, or not? Coz if you don’t, I’m gonna eat it.”

Carmilla ate the cookie out of Laura’s hand, and Laura looked triumphant.

It didn’t matter if it was Laura waking up early and pouring out blood for her, literally risking her neck for her, or making sure Carmilla got a share of her cookies.  “You really are perfect,” Carmilla whispered, before they left the rooftop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys!! Hope you liked it!


End file.
